Was there anything in the shop that could heal us? Caesar began frantically searching for any healing potion within the vast shop lists.
He quickly reached the "Potions" section and browsed through them:
[Healing Potions:
Simple Healing Potion: 500 Positive Karma Points. (Heals minor wounds and speeds up recovery from simple ailments).
Moderate Healing Potion: 2000 Positive Karma Points. (Heals moderate wounds and speeds up recovery from illnesses).
Potent Healing Potion: 5000 Positive Karma Points. (Heals severe wounds and nearly all illnesses).]
Caesar sighed. He had 1000 Positive Karma Points, but a Simple Healing Potion cost 500 points. This meant he could afford two. "That's good!" Caesar thought. "We can heal Ira's foot and my minor cuts."
But after a moment, he frowned. "Wait... Ira's foot isn't a simple cut. It's festering, a chronic infection. A Simple Healing Potion might not be enough or won't speed up recovery effectively. I need something stronger."
Caesar searched again, this time for disinfectants or topical treatments.
[Disinfectants and Treatments:
Basic Disinfectant Powder: 100 Positive Karma Points. (Kills surface bacteria and helps dry wounds).
Curative Ointment for Festering Sores: 300 Positive Karma Points. (Treats bacterial infections and speeds up the healing of inflamed tissue).
Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic (Dose): 10000 Positive Karma Points. (Eliminates most severe bacterial infections).]
"Curative Ointment for Festering Sores! That's it!" Caesar realized. At 300 Positive Points, he could buy the ointment, leaving him with 700 points. But he still needed something for his own injuries.
"So, I will buy Curative Ointment for Festering Sores (300 Positive Points) and a Simple Healing Potion (500 Positive Points) for myself. That leaves me with 200 points. This is a start."
[Purchase successful: Curative Ointment for Festering Sores (1). Deducting 300 Positive Karma Points.]
[Purchase successful: Simple Healing Potion (1). Deducting 500 Positive Karma Points.]
[Current Karma Points: 200 Positive Points | 0 Negative Points.]
The items appeared in the "Inventory" system, which had just been unlocked. The Inventory screen displayed a three-dimensional void where he could see the items. Caesar pulled the potion and the ointment out of the screen. His hand felt the warmth of the glass vial and the tube of ointment.
He looked at Ira. She was still sleeping relatively peacefully. He took the Simple Healing Potion and drank it. He felt a slight tingling sensation throughout his body, and his bruises and minor cuts began to heal noticeably fast.
Then, he carefully applied the ointment to Ira's infected foot. She could only groan softly in her sleep. The ointment would take time to work, but he felt satisfaction that he had done something for her.
[DING! You have performed a good deed. Received +500 Positive Karma Points.]
[Current Karma Points: 700 Positive Points | 0 Negative Points.]
Caesar drank the remaining healing draught, then stood up resolutely. "It is time for revenge against the foolish brothers and the stupid father."
"Hmm... how shall I exact my revenge? How shall I get back at them?" Caesar pondered deeply, ignoring his residual aches. Then, a wicked idea struck him. "Don't they always call me the 'smelly bastard'?" His eyes gleamed cunningly. "Is there any potion that could make them smell like pig manure?"
Caesar opened the System screen and began searching the Potions section, this time focusing on strange or bodily-altering concoctions. It didn't take long until he found what he was looking for:
[Strange Potions:
Invisibility Potion: 10000 Positive Karma Points.
Temporary Intelligence Boost Potion (1 hour): 5000 Positive Karma Points.
Stench Potion (Lasts 24 hours): 100 Negative Karma Points. (Causes an extremely foul odor resembling pig manure, unaffected by water or perfumes).
Deep Sleep Potion: 200 Positive Karma Points.]
"What a bargain! Only one hundred Negative Karma Points!" Caesar's eyes lit up with triumph. This was exactly what he needed.
[Purchase successful: Stench Potion (1). Deducting 100 Negative Karma Points.]
[Current Karma Points: 700 Positive Points | -100 Negative Points.]
Now that the potion was in his Inventory, Caesar quietly and cautiously slipped towards the main palace kitchen. He knew the servants would be busy preparing the evening feast, making it the perfect opportunity.
With the stealth he had acquired from a lifetime of creeping around the stable, Caesar slid between the back corridors and storerooms, avoiding scattered servants. He reached the kitchen to find massive food cauldrons bubbling over the fire, the aroma of delicious food filling the air. No one was guarding the main pots.
In a flash, Caesar retrieved the Stench Potion from his Inventory, opened it, and poured its dark green liquid contents into the large pot of stew intended for the Baron's table. There was no immediate smell or visible change, exactly as he expected from the System description.
"I hope it takes effect when they eat it," Caesar muttered, smiling maliciously. He then returned with the same speed and skill to the stable to sleep briefly, awaiting his results.
Later that evening, in the luxurious dining hall, Baron Marcus sat with his wife and three sons: Rainer, Ralf, and Ruben. The table was laden with the finest dishes.
Everyone began to eat. Only a few moments passed before the Baron's nose began to twitch. "What is that smell?" he said with a scowl, looking around. "Is something rotten somewhere?"
The foul odor gradually intensified, filling the entire hall—a stench that could only be described as a mixture of rotting pig manure and sewage. The sons and the Baron's wife also began to notice it, their faces twisting in disgust.
"The food!" the Baron yelled, "It's coming from the food! Get a guard to taste this stew!"
One of the guards reluctantly stepped forward. He tasted the stew, and within seconds, his face turned green. "My Lord... My Lord, it's... it's horrible!" He then ran to vomit into a nearby basin.
Baron Marcus was furious. "Poison! We've been poisoned! Bring a potent healing potion immediately!"
A potent healing potion was brought instantly. The Baron drank it, followed by his wife and sons, but the smell did not change; rather, it continued to strangely emanate from their bodies. The potion cured the poisoning, but it could not remove the chemical effect of the strange draught.
"Bring the head chef! Bring all the kitchen servants!" the Baron roared, his fury rising in his eyes.
The kitchen servants gathered in terror. "Who did this?! Who dared to poison my food?!" the Baron thundered, his foul stench filling the room as he berated them one by one, trying to find the culprit.
At that moment, one of the guards stepped forward hesitantly, nearly gagging from the smell emanating from the Baron and his family. "Forgive me, My Lord... but... I saw the young master Caesar entering the kitchen... just before dinner."
A deafening silence. Then, the three brothers erupted in anger: "Caesar?! That bastard pig! He is no brother of ours! How dare he?!" yelled Rainer, his stench intensifying with every movement.
Inside, the guard smiled bitterly, but did not dare utter it: Look at yourselves now. Who is the true smelly one!